Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang

Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang (born November 22, 1951, Cape Coast, Ghana) is a Ghanaian literary scholar and politician who has been serving as Ghana’s vice president since January 2025. She was elected in December 2024 as part of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket with presidential candidate John Mahama. She also served as minister of education (2013–17) during Mahama’s previous term as president. Before her entry into politics, she taught literature at the University of Cape Coast and held administrative positions there, including vice chancellor (2008–12). She also served as chancellor (2018–24) of the Women’s University in Africa (WUA), which is located in Zimbabwe.

Opoku-Agyemang has blazed a trail of firsts for women in Ghana. She was the first woman to serve as vice chancellor at a university, the first woman to be named a vice presidential candidate for a major political party, and the first woman to be elected vice president. After she was selected as Mahama’s running mate in July 2020, she spoke about what being the first woman in that position meant to her:

Making history is gratifying; but what really matters is not to be first through the door. What matters is to hold the door open for those behind us and create other avenues for self-actualization for many more.

Early life, education, and family

Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang (née Sam) was born in Cape Coast, in the Central Region of Ghana, in 1951. After completing her secondary schooling in 1971, she pursued higher education in languages and literature. In 1977 she graduated from the University of Cape Coast with a bachelor’s degree in English and French, along with a diploma in education. She later moved to Toronto, Canada, where she earned a master’s degree (1980) and a PhD (1986) in English literature from York University. She also has a diploma in advanced studies in French from the University of Dakar in Senegal.

Opoku-Agyemang is the mother of three children. She has two sons, Kweku and Kwabena, and a daughter, Maame Adwoa. 

Academic career at the University of Cape Coast

In 1986 Opoku-Agyemang returned to Ghana and became a professor at the University of Cape Coast. As a scholar, she published academic articles on topics such as education, the slave trade and its remembrance, and the role of women in Ghanaian and other African literature, and she received a Fulbright scholarship in 1993–94. In addition to her teaching and writing, she held several administrative positions, including dean of the Faculty of Arts and founding dean of School of Graduate Studies and Research. From 2008 to 2012 she served as the university’s vice chancellor, becoming the first woman to hold this position in Ghana.

Minister of education

In 2013 President Mahama nominated Opoku-Agyemang to serve as Ghana’s minister of education. In that position she oversaw initiatives supported by other countries to improve resources for Ghana’s students. For instance, in 2013 the United Kingdom government supplied $50 million worth of textbooks for primary and junior high school students. In 2014 the South Korean government helped establish a solar-powered school in the Eastern Region, giving students Internet access. Additionally, a World Bank loan enabled Ghana to provide sanitary pads for young women in schools.

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Under Opoku-Agyemang’s leadership the government converted several polytechnic schools (institutes focused on vocational training) into technical universities (institutes that offer vocational training with academic coursework) to bolster their programs in engineering, science, and technology. In 2015 the government implemented an Inclusive Education Policy, aimed at improving educational opportunities for students with special needs. She noted that, through the policy, the government aimed to foster “an environment for addressing the diverse educational needs of Ghanaians.”

While she was the education minister, Opoku-Agyemang published a five-volume collection of short stories called Who Told the Most Incredible Story? (2015) inspired by African folktales. She intended the stories to be read by both children and adults, so that they could appreciate African culture. Ever since she taught at the University of Cape Coast, she said she had wanted to find ways to introduce folktales to the country’s youth. Speaking at the launch of her short story collection at the Accra International Conference Centre, she told the audience, “I sometimes asked my students how many of them could tell a story,” noting that most students could not tell even one. The anecdote highlighted a decline in traditional cultural knowledge among Ghanaian students, a gap that Opoku-Agyemang’s collection of folktales sought to address.

After President Mahama lost his 2016 reelection bid to Nana Akufo-Addo, he left office in 2017. Opoku-Agyemang, whose role as education minister ended, returned to academia.

Chancellor of Women’s University in Africa and vice-presidential bids

In 2018 Opoku-Agyemang became chancellor of WUA. Under her leadership the university sought to enroll more students, especially middle-aged women who had not attended college when they were younger, as well as young women who did not finish high school, giving them a second chance at education. In 2020 Mahama, who was seeking a return to the presidency on the NDC ticket, selected Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate, making her the first woman to become the vice presidential candidate of a major political party in Ghana. However, Mahama lost that election to incumbent President Akufo-Addo.

Opoku-Agyemang stepped down as chancellor of WUA in August 2024. Earlier that year, Mahama, who was running for president, once again appointed her as his vice presidential running mate on the NDC ticket. The two campaigned together and won the December 2024 election. Mahama was sworn in as president, and Opoku-Agyemang assumed office as Ghana’s first female vice president on January 7, 2025.

Vice president

Opoku-Agyemang has consistently championed women’s rights in Ghana, including improving women’s access to education. As vice president, she has continued to advocate for women. She has called for tackling the social barriers, such as child marriage, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and witchcraft accusations, that continue to hinder women’s empowerment. On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2025, Opoku-Agyemang called for “urgent action” to combat violence against women. She was speaking at the 2025 Women’s Dialogue in Accra, held as part of International Women’s Day celebrations, where she urged stakeholders to accelerate efforts toward women’s rights, equity, and empowerment.

Today we stand in solidarity with women and girls. We must live in dignity. We must be intolerant of any form of violence against girls and women: whether in our homes, in our schools, places of work, places of worship, communities, and any place in our nation.

Honors and awards

Opoku-Agyemang has received numerous honors recognizing her contribution to education and leadership. She was awarded the Order of the Volta, one of Ghana’s most prestigious national awards, in 2011 for academic distinction. She is the recipient of honorary degrees from several universities, including Grand Valley State University in the United States and the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. She has also been a member of multiple boards and committees, including the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).